Here's why players, match officials are wearing black armbands in WTC Final

LONDON: Players from both South Africa and Australia, alongside match officials, are wearing black armbands during the ongoing third day of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final, underway here at The Lord’s Cricket Ground.

The ultimate Test is heading towards an exciting finish as the defending champions Australia have set South Africa to chase down a formidable 282-run target.

The crucial third day of the high-stakes fixture, however, got off to a contrasting start as players from both sides alongside match officials walked into the field wearing black armbands and observed a minute-long in memory of the victims of the tragic Ahmedabad air crash, which saw 241 individuals succumbing to death.

The unfortunate incident occurred on Thursday afternoon, when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, crashed into the hostel just minutes after takeoff.

According to international media, more than 260 individuals lost their lives in the tragic incident, which is dubbed the world’s worst air crash in a decade.

Meanwhile, following the minute-long silence in the WTC final, the two teams resumed the proceedings as they vie for the prestigious Test mace.

Defending champions Australia resumed their second innings through Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon from 144/8 and added a valuable 63 runs to their total, courtesy of the former, who remained unbeaten on 58.

The defending champions, who had secured a 74-run first innings lead, thus set South Africa a daunting 282-run target to clinch their first International Cricket Council (ICC) title since 1998.

When this story was filed, the Proteas were well positioned at 63/1 while chasing 282 with Aiden Markram and Wiaan Mulder, unbeaten on 29 and 27, respectively.